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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Fluency in one or more language/languages?

0 i found such a sentence: fluency in one or more European language as well as English is essential. And i wonder if it's correct. Perhaps there should be language instead of languages, or maybe there's no diffenerce? Thanks in advance! 0-
  

Top answer

11b 10the phrase 11i 10one or more12i 10 is plural in meaning and should take a plural verb12b 10; Bernstein 1958 asserts the same of 11i 10one or two12i 10. What relevant evidence of these constructions we have in our files agrees with the commentators: 12br 12br 10-One or two of the red brick and green copper pavilions ... still remain.

— Rvw

  • 11b 10the phrase 11i 10one or more12i 10 is plural in meaning and should take a plural verb12b 10; Bernstein 1958 asserts the same of 11i 10one or two12i 10.
  • What relevant evidence of these constructions we have in our files agrees with the commentators: 12br 12br 10-One or two of the red brick and green copper pavilions ...
  • still remain.
  • 12br 12br 10-...
  • 12blockquote 12br 02br 00(Your question is not the number of the verb, but that of 01i 00one or more02i 00.
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3 Answers
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0 01i00Webster's Dictionary of English Usage02i00 has: 02br
01blockquote
00...11b10the phrase 11i10one or more12i10 is plural in meaning and should take a plural verb12b10; Bernstein 1958 asserts the same of 11i10one or two12i10. What relevant evidence of these constructions we
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0 I think it should be: Fluency in one or more European languages as well as English is essential. 02br
02br
00Would it be incorrect to say "Fluency in one or more European languages as well as IN English is essential"? 0-
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0 QUOTE: Would it be incorrect to say "Fluency in one or more European languages as well as IN English is essential"? 02br
02br
00This would be correct, although "IN" is "understood". In other words, "in" is not essential to convey the meaning but, strictly, it ought to be there. (In my opinion) 0-
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